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3' sheetssheet 1. J. ASHCROFT. GLASS FUR'NAGE;

No. 311,051. Patented Jan.- 20, 1885.

GLASS PURNAGB.

1v1gfgtened Jan. 20, 1885.

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niUNTTnD STATES A PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN Asncnorr, or NEW YORK, N.

GLASS-FURNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 311,054, dated January 20, 1885.

`Application filed October 4, 1884. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom ift may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN Asnonorr, a citizen of the United States, residing at N eW York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Glass-Furnaces, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in furnaces for melting and annealing glass, and for other purposes, in which natural or other gas is used as a heating medium. Y

The object of my invention is to construct the floor, roof, or sides of the furnace with perforated tiles, whereby the gas and air are distributed uniformly and in the proper proportions over the entire surface of the furnace, thus producing a more intense and ,uniform heat in the furnace than has heretore been attained; and to this end my invention consists in providing the floor of the furnace with a tile or series of tiles having longitudinal apertures for the passage of gas and air, said longitudinal apertures being connected by a series of vertical or diagonal openings or slots, which communicate with or open into the chamber of the furnace, whereby the gas and air are admitted into the combustionchamber uniformly over the entire surface (or as much thereof as is necessary) of the furnace, and in the proper proportion to insure complete combustion of all the gases.

Referring to the drawings, Figure lis a top or plan vieW of a glass-melting furnace with the ordinary pots therein and the perforated floor for the admission of gas and air into the combustion-chamber. Fig. 2 is avertical sectional vieW on the line .fr fr, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of an ordinary steam-boiler furnace with my improved perforated furnace hearth applied therein. Fig. 4 is a top or plan View of Fig. 3, taken on the line y y, With a port-ion of the tile in section. Figs. 5 and 6 are views in perspective of modifications of the perforated tile. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section of a modiiication. line z z of Fig. 7. n

In feeding natural or artificial gas to furnaces much difficulty has been experienced in mingling the gas and air in proper propor- Fig. 8 is a top or plan view on the tions to effect perfect combustion of the gases in all parts of the furnace uniformly, and as heretofore constructed the glass-furnaces have been provided `with a central eye or opening through which the gas and air are fed to the oombustionchamber. By this construction the greatest heat is necessarily developed in the g center of the furnace, and the pots are subjected to unequal degrees of temperature, which causes them to crack and break, and, furthermore, much more time is consumed in melting a batch. I overcome this objection by means of the following devices, which I Will now proceed to describe.

In Figs. l and 2 I have shown an ordinary glass-furnace in plan and sectional View. A indicates the side walls; B, the bottom of the furnace; C, the melting-pots, and C the combustionchamber- The iioor B is made solid or entirely closed, on which is placed a layer of perforated tile, D. The tiles are made of fire-clay or other suitable fire-resisting material, and are provided with a series of longitudinal openings or ducts, one above the other, the upper series, a, being designed for the passage of the gas, while the lower series, b, is designed for the passage of air, both series being supplied with gas and air through the pipes E F, respectively, and the nozzles Gr H forming the connection of the pipes E and F with the channels a and b of the tiles. The air-ducts b are made larger than the gasducts c, so that a requisite amount of air may be mingled with the gas to insure a complete combustion of the same. The air ducts or passages b communicate with the gas-ducts a by means of the ducts or passages c, while the ducts c communicate with the combustionchamber through the medium of the ducts d, so that the air and gas are mingled in proper proportions before entering the combustionchamber. The gas and air may, however, be led into the combustion-chamber by separate ducts, and not mingled until after they have passed into the combustion-chamber, Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

It will be apparent that by the construction and operation of my devicesl am enabled to secure and maintain a uniform heat in all parts of the furnace or combustion-chamber.

In Figs. 3 and 4 I have shown my invention IOS as applied to furnaces for heating steam-boilers. As heretofore practiced the natural gas has been introduced through a nozzle, which concentrates or produces a flame which impinges against the lower side of the' boiler, and is confined to one spot or point. This is objectionable, for the reason that if the boilers are not kept clean and free from sediment they will burn through in a short time at this point and be rendered Worthless. In this instance the gas and air ducts leading up from the horizontal ducts or passages are inclined atan angle, so that the gas and air will not be obstructed by sharp angles, but will be free to rise into the combustiori-chamber, and by having the entire floor provided with .apertures for the admission of gas and the requisite amount of air I produce an intense and uniform heat in the combustionchamber.

In Figs. 5 and (i I have shown a modified form of my improved tile for feeding gas and air to a furnace, and instead of having small round openings for the admission of gas and air I provide the upper face of the tile with long narrow slits F, which may extend over and communicate with two or more of the longitudinal ducts. The tiles D, with the air and gas ducts therein, maybe made in one block, in the usual manner of making fire-proof tiles for building purposes, or they may be made in separate sections i. e., the gas-conveying tile made in one block and the air-tile made separate-the two being formed so as to register when properly put together. The tiles may be made in one piece, as indicated in Figs'. 3 or 4, or they may be made in shorter sections and cemented together at their ends with any suitable Iireproof cement. In cases where it is not desirable or convenient to use compressed air the air-ducts may be made still larger, so that the draft caused by the llame in the furnace will draw sufficient air from the outside to produce a complete combustion of the gases, and the admission of air in this manner may be regulated and controlled by a sliding damper, I.

I have already intimated that the airducts should be made larger than the gasducts, in order that the proper amount of air may be admitted to the gas. l This is an important feature of my invention; and, furthermore, it is important, in order to insure a complete combustion, that the air be heated before coming in contact with or mingling with the gas. I accomplish this by making the air-ducts in the floor-tile still larger, so as to act asamagazine or storage-chamber for the air which will become heated to a high degree of temperature from the heat of the tile, and in order to produce or impart a higher degree of temperature to the air the air-chambers may be located above the gas-ducts, so that the walls of the airehamber being next the combustion-chamber an intense heat will be imparted to the air before it mingles with the gas.

In Figs. 7 and 8 I have shown a supplemental air-chamber, K, located back of the furnace-front. The chamber may be made of a fire-proof pipe or tile and located at any point within the furnace where it will receive the greatest amount of heat from the combustion-chamber. The pipe or chamberKisprovided with apertures 7c on its outside for the admission of air, said apertures being adapted to be partially or wholly closed by a damper or slide, Z, by which the iow or quantity of air can be regulated. In lieu of the apertures k', the ends of the pipe or chamber K may project through the sides of the furnace, and in this way communicate with the external air. The inner side of the chamber K is provided with apertures or nozzles m, whichcommunicate with the air-ducts of the hollow perforated tiles which form the floor of the combustionchamber. By this construction I am enabled to provide a chamberin which the airis heated before it is mingled with thegas. This is another important feature of my invention, as it enables me to have an abundant supply of hot air to mingle with the gas, and thus insure a complete combustion of the gas.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s,-

1. A furnace for melting glass and for other purposes, the combustion-chamber of which is provided with a fioor of perforated tile for the admission of gas and air, as set forth.

2. In a furnace for melting glass and for other purposes, a hollow iioor provided with apertures for the admission of gas and air into the combustiouchamber, and with longitudinal passages or ducts, in combination with a pipe or pipes for supplying the gas and air under pressure, as set forth.

3. A furnace for burning gas, provided with hollow perforated tiles, substantially such as described, for the conveyance of gas and air to the combustion-chamber, in combination with a supplemental chamberin which the air is heated, as set forth.

4. A furnace for burning gas, provided with hollow perforated tiles, substantially such as described, for conveyance of gas and air to the combustion-chamber, in combination with the chamber K, located in rear of the front wall of the furnace and in juxtaposition to the combustion-chamber, said chamber K being provided with nozzles for admitting the heated air to the hollow tile, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN ASHCROFT.

Vitnesses:

R. l-I. XVHITrLEsEY, L. W. SINsABAUGH.

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